Forgive My Last
by maalani
Summary: "You know, what you are running from is what you want the most." I could not stop the tear that fell down my cheek, and he wiped it away. "Forgive me, my dear." As he left, the darkness crept over me again, and I was lost...
1. Chapter 1

All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except Sara.

* * *

The sun was out this morning when I woke up, and I rushed to my window to see it gleam off the small pond inside the castle walls. I'm not sure how long I stood at my window before I heard a soft knock on the door, most likely Demetri bringing me breakfast. I told him to come in, and as usual, he sat a tray of food down on the small table in front of the fireplace before seating himself in one of the leather chairs alongside. "It's going to be a nice day today."

"So it is," Demetri replied smoothly. "Come eat your breakfast. Aro has a surprise set up for you this morning that I think you'll like."

I turned toward him to see his vibrant red eyes staring at me. They must have fed sometime earlier. That was the only time they were so bright. That took a while to get used to, but soon enough, I'd grown accustomed to seeing them. It was the norm around here.

Smiling, I left the window and took a seat at the table and slowly began to eat. Summer fruits were finally in season, and they were my favorite. Gianna had probably gone out to the market to pick them up fresh this morning. The strawberries were perfectly sweet for them to have been sitting around in the kitchen for long. "What's this surprise?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you." Demetri glanced at the armoire in the room before rising. In a blink of an eye, he was next to it, doors open, and going through the articles of clothing Aro had bought for me over the years. "You should wear something nice, charming even."

Of course Demetri would be the one to add charming to the end of that. I rolled my eyes at him and continued with my breakfast as he pulled out one dress after the other. "No dresses."

He had found one Aro had bought for me only a month before. I had to admit it was lovely, and he had good taste, but it was not me at all. It was made of a fine silk dyed the color of the sky on a clear day. It was modest and made for someone of my generation which was what had surprised me most. He must have talked to Heidi about what girls wear this day in age when it came to dressing up. I'm glad he did not take into account that most of what she said probably dealt with low cut chest lines and short skirts. I would have killed him if that was remotely possible. This dress, however, hung loose on the body and flowed whilst moving. It was cut at the knee, sleeveless at that, and it may have been something someone would wear to a less formal dance or event. Demetri held it out to the side.

"I said no dresses."

The armoire was closed before I had a chance to argue with him anymore, the dress laid out on the bed and Demetri beside me. I pushed the tray away from me and stood up to look at what he had picked out. I knew I did not really have a choice, so there was no sense in challenging him. I grabbed the dress, made my way to the door on the other side of the room, and stepped in the bathroom. I could feel him smirking behind my back. He loved tormenting me, albeit, in a friendly way.

Demetri had originally brought me here on Aro's orders. It had been four years ago when Aro discovered me. I had gone to live with my uncle in Italy after the death of my parents. He was the only family I had left, but he was only family by blood, nothing else. After two years, I knew I had to get out of there before the worst could happen and left late one night, hitchhiking from town to town until I had finally reached a city known as Volterra. I remember finding an alley next to an old clock tower, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep from lack of food and exhaustion. I woke up during the night to voices coming my way. I did what I could to distance myself to not be seen, but my foot hit against something metallic and made a sound. That's when they turned to look at me, and I saw the red eyes for the first time. One set of eyes had belonged to Demetri. He was the one who took hold of the other's arm to stall him before closing the space between him and me. I had no idea what was going on as his eyes were not only frightening to me but also had a look of confusion placed across them. I made to say something to him when he put his finger over his mouth and motioned me to stay quiet. Then he and the other man, the one I would come to know as Felix, walked away.

The next night, Demetri had made his way back to me. I had moved to another alley in the city, but he had still managed to find me. This time, he was alone. He knelt down beside and stroked my unkempt hair before asking me if I was hungry. Of course I had been starving at the time and although every part of my being told me not to trust him, I went with him anyway. He took me to a hidden part of the alley I had not seen earlier and opened the passageway before taking my hand and leading me down into the darkness. I remember being nervous; but at that point, I would have done anything to make the pain go away. So I followed.

We eventually came to a place in the passage where I could finally see a glimpse of light ahead of me. I had been glad he had held my hand the whole time because the torches lining the way were still too dim for me to see. Apparently he had travelled this path many times.

When we reached the light, I realized we were in a very old structure or building. I saw the elevator ahead of us, and he guided me inside before pressing a button. The elevator jerked ever so slightly, and he squeezed my hand reassuringly. His eyes still gazed into mine uncertainly as mine did into his. The hallway was ornate, paintings and marble sculptures along the way. I gasped as there was nothing to say to describe its beauty. He chuckled under his breath, noting my fascination, and that was when I noticed the large set of doors ahead of us. Something about them screamed at me to run, but that would have been impossible. I did not know at the time that Demetri could have caught up to me faster than I could ever imagine, but his hold did tighten slightly on my hand.

The doors opened on their own as we reached them and a large circular room appeared in front of me. It was so quiet with candles adorning the edges of the room, flickering shadows along the walls. At the far end sat three thrones, and on all three, sat three men, the first so solemn that I thought perhaps he really was a statue, the second, his milky red eyes ablaze with curiosity, and the third with hair almost snow white who looked like he might snap in frustration any minute. It was the second man who spoke.

"Ah, Demetri. I see you have brought the girl as requested." He stood up from his seat and seemingly glided over to us. Demetri held out his hand, and Aro took it for a brief moment before releasing him. At this moment, his head turned to me and he smiled a gentle sort of smile, welcoming yet what I would come to know as also fatal. "She truly is a mystery. Is it the same for you, brothers?" He went to face them yet neither spoke. The white haired man only glared at me with what I could only describe as daggers shooting from his eyes. "Now, Caius, there's no reason to frighten the child so." Then he turned back to me, "Your hand, my dear."

I knew something was wrong at this point, more wrong than I had first thought. It was Demetri who squeezed my shoulder lightly, perhaps as a way to calm me and let me know it was alright. I held out my hand slowly, and he pulled me toward him. He held it for quite some time, caressing my fingers with his own. I had no idea what he was doing, but each second that he held me there, I grew a stronger urge to push away and hide. He finally let go, and I stepped back to Demetri who gently placed his hands on my shoulders, whether to hold me there or for comfort, I did not know.

The man I now knew as Caius finally spoke, a staccato tone of voice with urgency and demand, "What did you see, Aro?"

"I believe you wish to know what she is. She is quite human and very unique. I wonder…" Aro, as he was presumably called, made his way back to the middle throne and sat so perfectly down on it. "Demetri, take our young guest downstairs for now. We must discuss what should be done."

"Yes, Master." Demetri's hand went back to mine, and he led me out of the room as I continued to glance behind me at these three men that were the embodiment of living gods. At the time, I had no idea how much truth that thought really held.

"Sara?"

I did not know how long I had stood in the bathroom looking at myself in the mirror. I had changed so much since coming here. I almost looked pretty. I quickly grabbed my brush from the counter and pulled it through my messy, fawn colored hair. Demetri knocked on the door before pushing it open a crack. "It's okay, you can come in."

He stood in the doorway never taking his eyes off of me. It used to bother me when he did that, but I had learned from Heidi that it was only because he felt a need to look after me. I had not understood why at first, but she told me that he was empathetic toward my childhood. I never asked him about it, just grew to accept that it was what it was and to leave it at that. I was more upset with the fact that Heidi and he knew more about me than they should. The frequent nightmares when I first arrived privileged them to that information.

"I'll never understand why it takes women so long to get ready." With a sigh, he made his way over and put his hand over mine, taking the brush away. "You look fine. He's waiting." He set down the brush and began to pull me from the bathroom into the bedroom. When he finally let go, I made to stop in the middle of the room, but he came behind me and nudged me forward. "Come on, you'll like this surprise, I promise."

I saw a pair of white flats placed by the door, so I went over to them and slipped them on. He reached out and pulled the door open and poked me until I was finally standing outside. "I hate dresses."

"Stop complaining. Let's go." His arm entwined mine and we made our way down the hall while I wondered what was in store.

Demetri had always been the one to escort me, that had never changed. I did not mind. I liked his company. Of course that had not always been the case. That night when he took me "downstairs" as Aro had called it had been the worst. Castles always seemed to have some form of a dungeon no matter what kind of castle it was, and that is where he placed me. It was a small room, no bed, only a cold concrete floor, completely dark with no light whatsoever. The door creaked as it opened and he ushered me in before turning to me, taking his dark gray cloak off of his shoulders and placing it around mine. My fingers were purple from the chill, and the ground water seeping through the cracks of the walls was not going to help with that. I could not tell if I was shivering from the temperature or from fear.

He knelt down to my level and placed his hands of ice on my cheeks. I was struck completely numb at this moment. I think my mind must have shut down because none of what was happening was making sense. He looked me in my eyes for a good ten seconds before standing back up and reaching in his pocket. He pulled out something delicately wrapped in plastic and handed it to me before walking out of the room and locking the door.

Putting my arm out in front of me, I moved slowly until I could feel the coldness of the wall then sat down with my back against it. I slowly unwrapped what Demetri had given me. It felt very smooth and when I smelled it, it was distinct. Chocolate. He had given me a small bar of chocolate. I took a careful bite to make sure it was what I thought before gradually enjoying the rest. I wanted to make it last as long as possible because I did not know what would become of me next.

I was not sure when I had fallen asleep, but when I awoke, a pool of light shone into the room and Demetri was leaning over me too close to comfort. I panicked and backed away as quickly as I could. He stayed where he was, unmoving yet quizzically watching me. He stood dreadfully slow and left the room once more. It felt like days before he returned.

A cold was setting in, and I could tell because I was I felt too warm for the temperature down there. I would sneeze off and on and then at random moments, a chill would set over me and I would wrap Demetri's cloak around me as tightly as I could while curled into the corner closest to the inner wall. I was blind to my surroundings and on the verge of what could be described as insanity with the lack of food and proper rest. When the heavy door finally opened once more, my eyes tightly shut as the burning sensation invaded my weakened state.

I could only hear the sounds of soft footsteps coming closer and closer to me and finally a ruffling of cloth next to my shaking form. The person had knelt down beside me, and I could hear them take a deep breath before gently pulling my hair away from my neck. They leaned in, and that's when I could feel their breathing so soft it was unnecessary. A cold finger pressed against my throat, and I was frozen, unable to move. Then it was over. They were gone. The door was closed slightly enough that my eyes were free to blink open, and I saw Demetri bow his head to someone before turning back to me. There was the smile again, the smile so soothing it drew me into this place to begin with. "Come with me. They have decided."


	2. Chapter 2

We had walked quite a ways to a part of the castle that in the years I had been here, I had never seen. It was a tad warmer than the rest of the halls, and I soon realized why. Up ahead was a brilliant beam of sunlight, and I could not help but have the biggest smile I could manage. It had been ages since I was allowed outside. I looked up at Demetri, and he released my arm, nodding that it was alright to go ahead. I ran as fast as I could into the sun's warmth.

I took a few more steps out the wide open doors, but I did not get far before there was a hand placed over my eyes. "What, there's something else?"

"There's always something else, my dear," Aro's tranquil voice was like beautiful music, and it never ceased to amaze me how he spoke so elegantly at times.

He guided me to what I could tell was a shaded area of the small inner courtyard before releasing me and allowing me to look. My eyes scanned the white bench in front of me to see a gorgeously crafted wooden box. "What's that?" Curiosity was starting to get the best of me.

Aro stepped in front, grabbed the box, and handed it to me in one fluid motion. He was always so graceful, so perfect and refined. It was his next words that shook me out of my daze. "It's a gift. Happy birthday, love."

I blinked a few times. How could I have forgotten? Of course, there were not any calendars in this place for me to keep track of the date the way it was, but I had known what month it was, hadn't I? The one thing I hated most about this place. Being what they were, they had no need for time as time was eternity for them, but for a human, time meant everything. I learned to tell time by watching the sun as it moved across the sky and as the moon rose and set. It was not something I was to be concerned with.

There was always routine, without a doubt, there was routine, but time stood still for everyone but me. In that instant, I had a range of emotions flow over me, and even though I had the urge to cry from anger and sadness and worry, I didn't. I was truthfully happy, wasn't I? How could I really know? Humans go through so many emotions daily, I wasn't an exception.

_Demetri led me down a corridor with many other rooms or cells like the one I had been placed in. We went up a tall flight of stairs and continued through many twists and turns. By the time we arrived at our destination, I was out of breath and completely lost. Maybe that was the point._

_He opened the door in front of us and inside was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. The walls were painted a fernwood green and the furniture had a style all its own. I had never seen anything like it before. A fireplace was lit on the far wall, and I wanted so badly to sit in front of it to warm myself. I also noticed a window covered by thick, soft white drapes. I wondered what time of day it was or even what day it was._

_Time was short at the moment though as Demetri brought me to the door on the other side and opened it to a small bathroom. "Clean yourself up. When you're done, I'll have a set of clothes waiting on the bed." I wanted to ask him what was going on, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had evaporated into thin air._

_I shut the bathroom door and locked it for comfort. The tub was old with clawed feet, but the surrounding wall had recently been remodeled to add in the joys of a showerhead. I found a large, white towel in the cabinet, the fluffiest towel I had ever held, and hung it over the shower rack. Someone had already put a small bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap in a small recess of the wall. I had guessed it was Demetri._

_Looking around and feeling safe enough, I turned on the shower, stripped off my clothes and stepped inside. For the longest time, all I wanted to do was let the hot water run over my back and the steam clog my senses, but I also knew that I did not want Demetri to become impatient and walk in on me. I had no idea where he had gone or how long it would take him to find me these clothes he would bring. I let the shampoo soak through my hair before rinsing it out and taking the bar of soap to my skin._

_The concrete had been wet and dirty, so my usually pale skin was now covered in streaks of brown and gray. When I was sure the water had rinsed it all off properly, I turned the knob, grabbed my towel and stepped out, wrapping it around me. The shower had been so warm, but thankfully the steam still helped a bit. I opened the cabinet alongside the mirror and found a comb which I used to remove the knots and tangles from my hair as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste which I was grateful for._

_I made my way to the door and pressed my ear against it listening for any sign that there may be someone in the room. I heard nothing. Very carefully, I opened it just a crack to take a peek. The room was empty but sure enough, a new set of clothing had been laid out on the bed for me just like Demetri had said. I quickly threw it on and noticed how it all hung off of me. The lavender top looked two sizes too big and the denim pants were not that much different. I was a small girl to begin with, very petite like my mother, but the lack of proper nourishment over who knows how long made matters worse. I wondered who they belonged to._

_Not much more than a minute later, I heard a knock on the door. "Dressed?"_

_It was Demetri again. "Yes." When had my voice become so timid?_

_He stepped inside and gave me a disapproving once over look. "It's time."_

_"Time for what?" No answers had been given to me since he brought me there, and it was getting to be too much. I did not like being kept in the dark in any sense. They say people fear most what is unknown to them, and right now, I had no idea who these people were, why they looked the way they did, why they were keeping me there, what they wanted with me, or anything. I was mentally drained, physically exhausted, and at that moment, he could have told me he was leading me to my death, and I would have gladly welcomed it._

"What is wrong, my love?" Aro looked at me genuinely concerned it seemed. I thought my emotions ran wild, but his moods were erratic.

Braving it, I smiled up at him. "Nothing. I had forgotten, that's all."

His fingers ran through my hair giving the calming effect I know he had hoped for. I was an open book to him as was everyone else. I hated feeling so vulnerable to him. It was something that I would never fully accept. "What a thing to forget," he commented casually. "A pretty girl becoming a beautiful young woman is not something we can take lightly. It is a wonderful day."

His sentiment to the fact that I was officially an adult was not something that I took to heart. It was only another day to me, but to him, I knew it meant something else. It meant I was ready.

I took a deep breath before sliding the closure on the box open. As I lifted the lid, my eyes widened at the most exquisite necklace I could ever imagine. It was, from what I could tell, an Edwardian style garland necklace with a tear drop diamond to set. I could not take my eyes off of it until I felt Aro pulling my hair to the side. He took the necklace from the box and fastened it carefully around my neck. I looked down at it on me. I definitely did not deserve this. "It's beautiful."

"It suits you."

_Demetri had led me back to the circular room with the three thrones, however this time, they were empty. I felt Demetri's presence leave mine, and I turned to see him standing across the room next to a man that must have been over half his size with a grand, muscular physique. I recognized him as the other man from the first time I had seen the red eyes._

_I had not to wait long in the center of the room before doors behind the thrones glided open and the three men from before stepped out, Aro in front. As the other two took their respective places, Aro continued his way to me. It was around then that I realized how bad off I must have been to start seeing things that could not possibly be real for when Aro crossed a beam of sunlight that fell inside the cathedral windows, it hit off of his skin like prismatic shards and cast a million tiny reflections across the room._

_It had happened so fast, that I put it in the back of my mind, but my face must have shown something because Aro reacted. He was already close and offered his hand. I knew he wanted mine after the happenings of the last time I was there. Although I was still oblivious to what exactly he was playing at, I gave him my hand seeing I had no other choice. He stepped in towards me this time before leaning down to my ear and whispering, "It was real."_

_My breath hitched in my chest in utter shock due to the impossibilities of it. Skin does not reflect light like diamonds, it just doesn't._

_He let go of my hand, his own coming to my chin and guiding me to look at him. The gentle smile of his was back, but it did nothing to soothe my nerves. My arms were wrapped around my self perhaps as a form of protection. At that moment, I wished I could have been invisible._

_Aro released me again with a quiet laugh more to himself than anyone I assumed. "But don't you see, little one? You are."_

I had not heard them coming, but Aro's glance up made me aware that we were not alone anymore. "Brothers, how nice of you to join us."

I turned to see Marcus and Caius standing behind us. It was rare for me to be amongst all three of them when we were not in the throne room, but due to the occasion, I supposed I should have expected as much. I managed a small smile, but what I did not expect was for Marcus to return any sort of expression like he did. Although his lips never moved, his eyes definitely lit. Caius was unnerved by something as he always seemed to be. He was calm on the exterior, but seeing as how I had known him long enough to realize that that meant he was less than that, I turned away from him.

"I am sure you understand why we have all gathered here, do you not, my love?"

Of course there was something more on hand than a special birthday surprise. I shook my head honestly not knowing but having an inkling of an idea.

Aro sat on the pristine bench and waved me over. I sat next to him as still as I could, waiting for him to speak, but it was not him who spoke. It was Marcus.

Marcus had a voice with only one tone, never raising or lowering pitch. It was drawn and eerie like he had seen a lifetime of warfare and his only wish was to stop reliving the pain every single day. I had been told the story of why he was the way he was as well as being told to never mention it to him. Who would want to relive that pain? I had never been in love, but to lose your only reason to live when you could never die would be worse than death itself.

He took a couple of steps toward Aro and me as he spoke. "You have come of age."

It dawned on me that my suspicion had been correct. It was a grand occasion in their minds. I looked at the ground before me as a cloud moved in front of the sun and the entire courtyard was covered in the shadow, making it even darker where we congregated. "Right." I was feeling edgy at this point not knowing if I should be preparing myself for the worst when Aro caught my attention once more. He had probably sensed the hesitancy in my voice.

"It does not have to be right now. When you are ready."

"Of course, we will not wait forever." The sharp voice which had interjected was belittling as ever, but I took in his warning. I knew they would not, especially if Caius had his way. He had always thought it was a risk keeping me around in the first place, but Aro would not listen. Aro always found a way to get what he prized.

"I know," and I did know very well that they would not.

I saw him and Marcus turn to leave but not before Marcus lent me what he probably thought were words of comfort. If I had not been wise to see right through it, the words may have had that effect, but I knew the truth behind them. "It is, however, your choice." Then they were gone.

It was my choice, but it was not a choice at all. I knew what the wrong choice meant, but I also was not accepting of the fact that the right choice was the right one. There was no right choice, and it really was not ever my choice. It was all an illusion, and they would always have the upper hand. This I knew better than anything else.

My mind wandered into a dark space. I had many fears that still haunted me to that day, and to that day, I had never believed anything else. It made no sense to me, and what if I did go along with it? What if I was not what they had hoped or expected?

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Aro. I could tell he was fighting the urge to reach for my hand, so I took my own and placed a finger on top his. His expression was as if he had let out a soft sigh. He brushed away a thin strand of hair that the breeze had caused to linger across my face and leaned in before gently kissing my forehead.

"Is that what truly troubles you? You fear our acceptance?" A simple smile crossed his features as the most honest words came from his lips. "You know, what you are running from is what you want the most." I could not stop the tear that fell down my cheek, and he wiped it away. "Forgive me, my dear." As he left, the darkness crept over me again, and I was lost in the not so distant past.

I was twelve when I had gone to live with him, the man who I was told was my uncle on my father's side. I had never met him before let alone heard my father talk about him, but a family friend did introduce us at the funeral. He seemed like he desired nothing more than to leave immediately, paying no respect to his brother's memory.

The arrangements had been made a couple of nights before that I would be taken into his care, something I could tell he was not thrilled about. He said that as family, it was his obligation to take in his dead brother's child. I was nothing else to him than that. I became more and more aware of it as the days grew on.

In return for this, I took care of the house when I was not being taught. He believed in a solid education and therefore hired a private tutor to give me lessons on a daily basis. My Italian was less than perfect, so this became the only option he found appropriate. I was left alone most of the day and sent to my room at night where I would sometimes read into the early hours of the morning. His only rule was that I was to not be around where he was. He made it clear that he did not want to see me and that I should keep myself busy unless he requested my presence.

Certain nights I would cry myself to sleep wanting nothing more than to go home and see my parents again. I knew that was impossible as they were no longer alive, but it did not stop me from wishing things were the way they used to be. Even the crying stopped soon enough. On the one occasion he heard me while passing, he came into the room and told me the flat out truth, they were never coming back, so crying was pointless. It was not worth wasting tears over corpses.

He was right of course. My tears would not bring them back, nothing would. I only had the memories to keep them alive in my heart.

The night I left was the first time he had ever come home drunk. I was in the sitting room reading a book by the fireplace. I heard him come in but ignored it. He had somehow made his way into the room, but I paid him no attention. I wanted to blend in the best I could and hoped he would not notice me, but he did. He came over to where I was sitting and roughly grabbed the book from my hands. "Why do you read this nonsense?"

I did not reply. I did not look up at him at all. I stared at the ground waiting for him to throw the book back at me and stumble out to his study.

"I asked you a question."

I took a deep breath before replying quietly. "It's not nonsense."

"Huh? What was that?" He moved closer to me and with his free hand grabbed my face so I was forced to look up at him.

"I said it's not nonsense."

He paused for a moment. I did not know what to expect from him with my comment. I watched him carefully as he mulled over my words in his head. A smirk appeared across his features as he released me. I pushed myself back into my chair as far as I could. I did not think he would actually harm me, but his expression was frightening at best. Before I could say anything, he began ripping pages from the book and tossing them into the flame.

I wanted to speak, to tell him to stop, but I could not. My mouth was dry with no words capable of forming. Every page he tore and ripped ached at my core. To anyone else it was only a book, but to me, it was an escape to a place far away where I was loved and wanted. Now it was gone. Reality was upon me, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I did not even cry. Tears could not express the agony I had felt at that particular moment.

When he had finished, he walked out of the room as if nothing had even happened. I sat there doing what I could to control myself. It was only minutes before I heard the door upstairs open and close, and I stood, making my way down the hall to the foyer. I had only wanted some fresh air to gather myself again, but the moment I stepped out the front door, I knew I could never go back.


	3. Chapter 3

It was not long before he joined me. I heard his shoes gently click along the pavement in front of me. I looked up and smiled. "Demetri."

He returned the greeting before holding out his hand for me to take. I did so. "It's very pretty on you. It complements the dress well."

I shook my head. Of course he had known about the gift Aro planned to give me. He thought he was so sly, but I did not miss it. "Is it time to go inside already?"

"Not unless you wish to." His eyes lingered on mine which I used to tell him that that was the last thing I wanted. I was enjoying my time in this new area. "Do you want to take a walk? There's a small garden around the corner you might like."

I nodded. I could use the fresh air, and as long as I had the chance, I wanted to take advantage of it.

He led me to gated wall of the courtyard and pushed it open. I stepped through and on the other side laid a hidden garden. Ivy clung to the high brick, and beautiful, vibrant plants were scattered in assortments along a stoned paved walkway. A small tree stood at the end and hanging from a thick branch was a swing swaying slightly in the breeze. The most noticeable color throughout was yellow. The shade was so content and happy that the same feeling rushed over me. It reminded me of the sun.

Demetri came in behind me and watched me intently. The sun was still behind the clouds, but I was hoping it would come back out to play for a while before we had to take our leave. He came up behind me quietly. "What do you think?"

"It's nice, serene even." I did not know how else to describe it. Although the flowers were well kept, there was an air of mystery that hung over it. Parts of the grass had still overgrown and a few weeds dared to peek out between stems. The ivy was growing however it pleased with no certain direction, and the stone seemed slightly eroded beneath my feet.

"It belonged to Didyme," Demetri finally commented. "Aro wished to share it with you."

"Didyme? His sister?"

"Yes."

Didyme, Aro's sister and Marcus's deceased wife. She had been murdered a very long time ago and since then, Marcus had presumably never been the same. No wonder the garden appeared the way it did. The one part that had remained completely untouched from the growing brush was the area around the swing, and a part of me already knew why.

"She used to love to come here. It was her joy and passion. He thought it may help calm you from the earlier discussion."

I turned to Demetri almost accusingly but not at all angry. "You knew?"

"I guessed." He shrugged it off as simple as that, or so I had thought. After a moment he appeared in front of me, and I glanced up at him. "Does the idea frighten you?"

I sighed. Even if I should have been, that was not the case.

"What," Demetri asked sounding amused.

"I'm not scared of it."

His eyes felt as though they were piercing through me trying to figure me out. "Then what is it?"

"It's not worth it." I stated it matter of factly because I believed it so well to be true. Perhaps it was even understated. I was not worth it.

"Becoming like us isn't worth it?" I could tell Demetri was confused by my choice of wording. How would I know if it was worth it or not until I tried it out for myself? My mom used to say such things to me. 'How do you know unless you try?' Of course, you could not just try this out. There was no going back once it happened.

"I mean, what if he's wrong? What if he's wrong in whatever he sees in me? He seems to think I have some sort of special gift, but what if I don't? Then what? It was all for nothing?"

His eyes softened, and he knelt down to my level, being a good foot taller than I was. "Sara, you should feel honored that he chose you. You shouldn't question it."

"But I have to. What if I wasn't like this? What if I was normal? He would want nothing to do with me. He would have killed me years ago. No, you would have killed me years ago, or Felix. You know it's true."

Silence fell over us for a long moment as his eyes turned down to the ground. I knew he was deep in thought struggling with what to say next. He could not deny the fact with certainty. We both knew that deep down. "You shouldn't be concerned with that."

I turned and began to walk away from him frustrated with his incapability to understand where I was coming from. I did not get far however before I felt his hand around my wrist and gently pulling me to a halt. "Let go."

His grip never loosened from my wrist although I could have easily pulled my arm from him at any time. He never tightened his hold either when I made to break free from him, so I paused. What was he playing at? I faced him once more, but what I saw was not what I had been expecting to see. His eyes were haunted by something and right then, my heart skipped a beat.

He spoke so softly I had to take a step toward him to hear. "Maybe you're right if that had been the case, but it wasn't. Suppose that after, you don't show what he believes you to have. That doesn't mean you're nothing. Whether you see it or you don't, you are special, even if what is was not." He let go of my wrist after that and took two steps to cross me and headed to the gate. "You are not and never have been worthless."

I heard the swing of the gate, and I knew I was alone.

* * *

I was still trying to decipher what Aro had meant by the fact that 'I was.' I was what? Certainly he could not so easily see right through me. Then again, perhaps he could. These were strange men I knew nothing about, and I was at the point of believing that they were not even human at all. All things considered, they had deep red eyes which were not normal, skin so ghostly white that the three men before me seemed almost translucent; on top of that, the reflection of the light off of their skin was next to impossible but was not. Their skin was ice to the touch and Demetri's speed had been unnerving.

"You must excuse me, my dear. It is only that I have yet to ever come across a human like you before. It does so fascinate me as it did Demetri."

Fearful as I was of this stranger before me, my confusion was over the top causing my head to spin erratically, physically and mentally. "What are you talking about?" It came out in a whisper, but he seemed to hear me perfectly.

"Your scent or lack of."

"What?"

"Certainly you've realized by now?"

Realized what, I wondered. That they were odd, crazy, insane, and different? Certainly I had realized that. The question I was waiting for him to answer was why. Had I gotten myself involved in some sort of satanic cult where they sell their souls to the devil for power and fortune? I was leaning highly towards that theory. At least that had some sense of plausibility to it.

Aro then touched his finger to my throat, right along the pulse. He pressed just slightly enough that I could feel it pumping through my skin. His eyes watched me as he traced the line of the artery and to the center of my throat. My breathing was uncontrollable at this point, and I felt for certain that he was at any point going to grab me by my neck and choke the life away from me.

"You're so young, are you not?"

The question was rhetorical, a simple fact.

"Aro." The man who I once thought lost to the world around him spoke.

His hands went to his sides once more as Aro turned to face the other. "Marcus, what do you think?" Aro was in front of me one second and next to Marcus the next, their hands joined together. This time, I had been watching. I had not turned to see no one there. I had seen him disappear in front of my eyes and reappear on the other side of the room.

My gasp caught their attention as if they had thought it would be such a normal occurrence for me that I saw every day. The third's eyes never left me, a sick grin along his face. I took a step back, but as I did, hands encircled the top of my arms holding me in place. Demetri and the other had materialized beside me, and I panicked. The room began to spin even worse than it had been before, and I felt a strong urge to vomit. A chill rushed over me, and I clinched my eyes shut. A ringing began in my ears and I heard myself whimpering for it to stop. Eventually, it did.

When I woke up, I found myself lying on the four poster bed of the same room Demetri had taken me to so I could wash up. The mattress was so soft that my body gladly sunk into it. The comforter was too warm, likely filled with down. I pushed it off of me and began to sit up when a wave of dizziness once again hit. Suddenly, I felt an arm wrap around the top of my back and help me into a sitting position. When I opened my eyes, I saw Aro beside me.

I tensed as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Shh. I will not harm you, my little one."

The room was still as I tried to relax but to no avail. He reached over slowly and moved the hair away that had fallen in front of my face. "You're not human, are you?" My voice sounded so small, so weak.

He smiled. "No."

"Then what?"

"I do want to try something, if you don't mind?"

"You're evading my question."

Aro took my left arm into his hand and turned it palm side up. I immediately tried to pull away knowing he was about to see the one secret I kept hidden so well, but his grip was too tight. His eyes stared at the marred skin before him. "What is this?"

I said nothing but looked away.

"Now you're evading mine."

The memories flooded back into my mind, memories I did not want to remember. "I asked first."

"What is this, Sara?"

What stunned me is that he knew my name. In all the time I had been there, not once did Demetri or he ever ask for my name. Why would they if their only intent was to kill me after getting what they wanted from me. The fact that he knew my name was not important to me at the moment, but what was is that he was asking me a question I had no desire to answer.

I felt something sharp slice through my skin in that moment, and I winced, quickly turning to see a small blade in his hand, and a thin cut of blood droplets forming. I watched as he brought my arm up to him. He sniffed the blood, but the part that made me sick to my stomach was when his tongue lapped at it as it slowly trickled out. After a minute, the bleeding had slowed and nearly came to a stop. I was appalled at the scene that had occurred before me. "Your answer, now mine. Do you too have a thirst for blood?"

We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity as my mind worked to process what had just happened. Some may say I had too active of an imagination, but it was that very imagination that gave me the strength to accept everything I had seen and to come up with my conclusion. He admitted that he was not human, and I would be a fool not to believe him. Blood was the last piece of the puzzle. This was not a cult, it was a coven, and they were vampires.

"Correct you would be, my dear." He released me and stood while I sat glued to the spot. It was as if my body had forgotten how to move.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't need to. My gift. You never understood what I was doing when I took your hand? It is a form of communication for me." He chuckled under his breath. "I see and hear every thought you have ever had by a simple touch." His eyes held remorse with what he said next. "You have suffered great loss for one barely lived."

I immediately felt completely exposed to him. Vulnerable did not even begin to describe it. I shuddered at the thought of all he must have known about me by that point, all my fears and my weaknesses. He saw all the memories, my final memories that I had kept inside for so long of my parents, memories that were private. I could not help the anger that rose in me that second. "What?" It came out shaky, but I knew he noticed it was laced with enmity. "You don't know anything."

"True. I do not know why you would choose such a masochistic ritual to cope. Why cover pain with even more pain? No, I do not know why humans think the way they do. I do not know why they choose to torture themselves when doing so fixes nothing. So why? Why the waste of such a young life?"

I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my chin, my toes squeezed tightly in recoil. I never thought about why I did it. I only knew that it allowed me to feel something. The only thing I was covering up was a sense of emptiness, of being numb. I did have a plethora of emotions bottled up inside of me, and when I ignored them for too long, I needed a sense of release. Seeing the blood flow freely was my high.

"Do you enjoy pain?"

The question shocked me. Who in their right mind would or could enjoy pain? Humans did everything they could to keep from experiencing it. No, I feared it.

Looking at him once again, I sighed. "It's not that I like it, but I deserve it."

"I cannot possibly see how."

"Like I said, you don't know anything."

Aro took a step toward the door then stopped. "You amuse me. You are so curious."

"Why?"

"I brought you here because of what Demetri had shown me. Your blood was different, having no scent to us. I thought perhaps by breaking through the skin's surface, its aroma would appear, but it did not. When it does appear, however, is when you sleep. Do you know why I now think that is?"

I shook my head trying to follow along the best I could.

"I think it is because when you are awake, you pride yourself on being as invisible to others as possible, but when you sleep, that defense is dropped, for how can one hide when in such a state of rest?"

I stared at him incredulously. Perhaps it made sense to him, but to me, it was all rambles.

"Demetri will be in soon." The door opened and he began to step out into the corridor.

"Wait."

Aro stopped expectantly and waited for me to continue. "Yes?"

"What you saw," I began, but he interrupted me.

"Can remain between us." As the door closed behind him, I stood and immediately regretted it.


	4. Chapter 4

…I stood and immediately regretted it. The room began spinning again, and I steadied myself alongside the bed. Once my vision cleared, I walked slowly to the door I knew lead to the bathroom and entered it. Reaching the sink, I turned on the faucet and cupped some cold water in my hands. I was dehydrated but not to the point of my body shutting down. It must have been fewer days than I had originally thought since I arrived. A few more sips of the cool tap, and I was already starting to feel a little better.

I made my way back into the main room, and I noticed that Demetri's cloak, the one he had left me that first night, was lying neatly over the back of one of the chairs next to the fireplace. I crossed the room and sat in the chair opposite, bringing my knees up to my chest and resting my head. My eyes casually closed, and I began humming a nonsense tune to myself.

Within minutes, I heard the door to the room opening again. My eyes quickly opened, and I peered around the back of the chair to see Demetri holding a small bowl in his hands. He walked my way and placed it on a center table in between the two chairs. He took the seat his cloak had covered and crossed his right leg across the other, sturdy and relaxed.

Whatever was in the bowl he placed on the table smelled wonderful, and my stomach let out a soft growl. He smiled. "It's acquacotta."

I dropped my legs and scooted forward in my seat so I was closer to the table. I reached out carefully for the bowl and brought it to me. There was a spoon already submerged, so I took a hold of it and brought some of the broth to my lips. It was delicious, but had it been awful, I would not have cared.

"Take it slow. It's been a few days since you've eaten anything." Demetri watched me dutifully as I heeded his warning and slowly sipped more broth from the spoon.

It had a warming effect which was welcomed in the chilly atmosphere. I took in another half spoonful before looking at the window across the room. With the drapes blocking it, the room was ever so dim, and it did not look like there were any lights to speak of.

Demetri noticed my gaze, and my eyes went back to him and followed as he stood from his seat and slowly walked toward the window. He found what he was looking for and pulled a small cord which parted the drapes so the light could shine in. He was mindful of his proximity to it, staying in the shadows against the wall.

"I apologize if you were frightened earlier. I don't think he expected you to go into shock." His voice was genuine yet cautious of bringing up the subject. "We sometimes forget how fragile the human mind can be."

I went back to focusing on my bowl of my soup. I had nothing to say really. I was not angry with him for what had happened, but I was slightly afflicted. While Aro had been mainly inquisitive, Demetri seemed somewhat distant. I took it as his way of playing it safe with me so what happened did not happen again.

He continued to stand in the shadows, and I looked up at him once or twice while finishing my meal. I sat back in the chair and focused on the carpet that covered the floor. The design was intricate and most likely Persian. The carpet itself was a pure ivory, and the metallic gold design knotted into it perfectly matched the bedding. I could only imagine that it had cost a fortune.

"It was a gift from an old friend of Aro's."

"It's pretty."

He grinned. "Feeling better then?"

"I guess."

Demetri came out of the shadows then and walked up to where I was sitting. "But you're still troubled?"

Nodding, I took a deep breath and bowed my head. "Demetri?"

He answered me nonchalantly, perhaps surprised at my use of his name. "What is it?"

"What if everything I read when I was younger about mythical creatures and places weren't myth at all? What if all of it was true? They wouldn't be part of my imagination anymore, would they?" My voice came out in a whisper, but I knew he caught every word. I looked up into burgundy eyes to see the kind grin return.

"I suppose they wouldn't."

"Then that means that this place is real," I paused. "And that you're real."

"I'm right in front of you, aren't I?" He was amused with me, and at least that was something. He held his hand out for me to take, and I did. Pulling me up from my seat, he held me there in front of him, his hands grasping my forearms lightly. I did not know if I should be afraid, but I wasn't. He leaned in so far that his lips now grazed my waiting neck, and as he spoke, I felt the tickle of his breath on my skin. "You appear so calm," he traced one of his fingers up the vein of my arm to my chest, "but your heart, it's fluttering."

He was right. My heart felt like it wanted to burst out of my chest. It was not from fear, for that had passed, or so I thought. It was from the intimacy of the situation. He was so close to me, closer than I was comfortable with anyone being. It wasn't like Aro who had done so out of intrigue. This was direct, maybe even sensual.

"Does this bother you? My being so close?" He waited a second for a response, but I was silent. When he released me, he took a step back right before a knock resounded on the door. He turned as it opened and a female vampire joined us in the room. "Heidi, what are you doing here?"

Her voice was fluid as if it was gliding over silk, but it was her incomparable beauty and how she accentuated it that most caught my attention. She stood in a short navy, blue dress that split right below her upper thighs and cut low into a V-neck. "I was on my way out and before leaving I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this human you brought in."

"And now you've seen her. Don't you have business to attend to?" Demetri's words were that of a scolding, but his tone was opposite, quite playful. I thought that perhaps they were lovers, if vampires had that sort of thing.

From most of what I had read, vampires only used their charm to attract human lovers to them so they could feed off of their blood. Perhaps that part was still true however many other parts may not have been. For instance, Aro had not turned to ash when the sunlight hit him. On the contrary, he burst into a million reflections of light. At least the theory behind vampires exploding in the sun made sense. To one less educated, it probably did look as such.

"But Demetri, I haven't even said a word to her yet." She nudged him over and stood in front of me. "Aren't you an interesting one? So it's true then, your blood has no scent? Peculiar indeed." Then she smiled. "Hello, I'm Heidi."

I returned the gesture. "Sara."

It was then she looked at my attire and grimaced. "Demetri! How could you let her walk around in such garments? They're falling off of her."

I could have sworn I saw Demetri roll his eyes before answering. "Buy some clothes that will fit her then while you're out. I borrowed these from Renata since she's so small. I thought they might work."

"Never let a man pick out anything for you. He'll get something wrong every time." The comment was meant as an open address than to anyone in particular, but I couldn't help the quiet giggle that came out of me. "I'll see what I can do." She turned back to Demetri. "She'll be staying then?"

"For now, I gather."

"Don't have too much fun without me. I'll be back tonight," and with that, Heidi disappeared from the room.

Now that I knew what they were, the gone in the speed of light thing did not seem to bother me as much as before. At least there was a sensible reason if not entirely logical for their speed. My rational mind could not wrap around that, but the part that spent all it's time fantasizing about escaping into a more exciting existence could.

"Sorry about that," Demetri apologized. "She is right, though. You do need clothing that actually fits you so you can be more presentable."

"Presentable for what?"

"When they call for you."

"They?" I thought I understood who he was talking about. After all, the three of them did seem to be the ones in charge.

His brow furrowed at me asking what should have been an obvious. "The Masters."

Curiosity took over, and the last thing I wanted was to sit in silence and let the tension build up again like before, so I asked, "Why do you call them that? Are they the ones over the coven?" The last word felt awkward to say, but that is what it was.

"Yes."

"Do other covens exist like this one?"

Demetri sighed probably realizing that the questions would continue for a while. "There are others, yes, but they're not at all like ours. You should relay these questions by Aro. I'm unsure of how much he wants you to know of our world."

"Then can I ask something more pertinent to you?" I could tell that he was not keen on conversing with me, but I did have so many questions pouring through my mind. His reticence was suffocating.

"That depends."

"How old are you?"

He left where he was standing to go back to the seat he had occupied after first entering the room. "Age is meaningless to one who is immortal."

I faced him. "Then how old were you?"

"Nineteen."

"Are most vampires around that young?"

At that he had laughed, but it was not a laugh full of humor. It was diffident. I continued to watch him, and he looked to the fireplace instead. "There are at least a couple who are much younger, younger even than you. Be sure you don't cross them."

"What's that supposed to mean," I wondered out loud.

"Let's hope you never find out."

* * *

I did not leave the garden right away. I had too many thoughts going through my head. What had gotten into him anyway? Demetri had always held a soft spot for me, I knew this from over the years, but this was too much. I had not meant to upset him, nor did I expect him to be, but for him to take off on me when he knew Aro did not want me left alone spoke much to that. I was sure Demetri had not gone too far. He was probably close and watching my reaction. Aro's wrath was something no one wanted to suffer.

The wind was growing stronger by the minute, and I shivered, deciding it was time to walk back into the castle before it got worse. Even though the sun was out, it was still hidden by the white cloud and standing in the shade did no good to keep me warm.

I went back through the gate and made my way across the inner courtyard and through the arched doors leading back into the building. Once inside, I took a look around expecting someone to materialize beside me, but he never showed. I frowned and began walking down the hall, stopping when I reached the fork. There was no sense in trying to choose a direction. I had been lost in this place once a very long time ago, but the memory was still fresh in my mind.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to those who have followed or added this to their favorites. I also like to hear what you all think, so jot a few lines down in the review box to let me know.**

**-Maali**


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